Technicians say service advisors underestimate repair times

According to Carlisle & Co.’s Annual Automotive Technician survey, technician-service advisor communication is a real issue in dealerships.

The 9,000 dealership technicians from 15 auto brands that participated in the survey claim that service advisors often tell customers repair work will require less time than it actually does. According to the surveyed techs, as many as one-third of all dealership customers are given unrealistic waiting times by service advisors.

Service advisors disagree, stating they are accurate 83% of the time.

Carlisle & Co. calls that a problem because expected repair-completion time is a big factor for consumers in deciding which car-service provider to pick.

From a technician standpoint, it’s vital that advisors provide informed and accurate initial diagnoses. For technicians who work on the meter as well as dealers who charge by the hour for service work, time is money.

Surveyed technicians also say 43% of repair orders require additional clarification from the advisor, costing each technician 30 minutes a day of follow-up time. Based on that, Carlisle estimates a typical dealership with 12 technicians at $60 an hour, each losing 30 minutes a day, results in about $90,000 of lost service revenue each year.

Survey results show a widespread need for auto manufacturers to implement more formal training programs at their dealership operations, the consultancy says.